The Riverina

With wine tasting at cellar doors, abundant fresh produce and intriguing heritage trails, the Riverina in Country NSW is a wonderful destination. The largest wine-producing region in NSW is famous for its botrytis semillon, a dessert wine. Enjoy the fine food and wine as you explore the rolling hills, vast plains, charming towns and meandering rivers in south-western NSW.

You’ll find plenty of things to do with an exciting events calendar of festivals, markets and shows, including Taste Riverina Festival and unWINEd in the Riverina. Accommodation options suit various budgets and there’s a delicious selection of restaurants, cafes and classic country pubs.

At the heart is Wagga Wagga, the largest inland city in NSW. From Sydney or Melbourne, the drive is less than five hours. You can also take a train or fly to Wagga Wagga, the cultural centre of the region, with Museum of the Riverina, galleries, theatre and the enchanting Botanic Gardens.

Just two hours’ drive northwest is Griffith, a cosmopolitan city with a rich Italian heritage and home to some of the region’s best-known wineries, such as Casella Wines, McWilliam’s Hanwood Estate and De Borteli Wines Bilbul, where the famous Noble One dessert wine is produced.

Both Griffith and nearby Leeton were designed by noted architect Walter Burley Griffin in the early 20th century as part of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Scheme, a system of weirs, dams and canals. In Leeton, admire art deco buildings and enjoy the daily Tastes of Leeton presentation.

The region is home to spectacular wilderness, too. Fivebough Wetlands, near Leeton, is a sanctuary for hundreds of species of birds. Northwest of Griffith is Cocoparra National Park and southwest of Wagga Wagga are the rock-climbing Towers, near National Trust-classified Lockhart.

Halfway between Wagga Wagga and Griffith is Narrandera, where you can see koalas in the wild at the Koala reserve. The kids will also love a visit to Alinta Wildlife Park, a short drive northwest of Narrandera.From shearing in Hay in the west to the iconic Dog on the Tuckerbox in Gundagai in the east, the heritage attractions are captivating.

Walk in the footsteps of bushrangers on the Ned Kelly Raid Trail in Jerilderie. In Cootamundra, the birthplace of cricketing great Sir Donald Bradman, is Bradman's Birthplace Museum. At Junee is the Junee Railway Roundhouse Museum, the last steam train depot built in NSW. In Temora, see flying vintage warplanes at the Temora Aviation Museum.